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<blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 5688512" data-attributes="member: 27780"><p><strong><u>Dragon Magazine Issue 247: May 1998</u></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>part 5/8</p><p></p><p></p><p>Rogues Gallery once again follows up on the fiction earlier in the issue. Kate Novak details the characters that she and her group played, and her hubby DM'd for. What are we to make of that? Well, it's probably not scraping the barrel, but it does have the danger of getting cheesy and self-indulgent. Still, they obviously had a lot of fun, and that comes through in the writing, which goes quite some way towards mitigating my scepticism. </p><p></p><p>Dwalimar Omen is the wizard of the group, and is older (well, relatively, given the presence of demihumans) and higher level than the rest of them. As with many old wizards, he can be subtle and quick to anger, but he's not so powerful that he can just blow off his companions, and it's pretty obvious that he does have some affection for them. He also has quite a distinctive appearance that the illustration captures decently. So far, they're no doing too badly. </p><p></p><p>Minder is a dwarf who's been stuck in a Golem body. Since Alias was also a woman who was actually a construct, this makes me wonder about Jeff & Kate's personal fetishes. She does have a bit of angst about not being able to smell or taste anymore, but hey, immortality and immunity to nonmagical attacks make up for that. There are far worse fates. </p><p></p><p>Foxilon Cardluck is our halfling thief, complete with drug issues (which have been bowdlerised in amusing fashion. ) He's managed to kick the habit, but still gets tempted from time to time. He also shaves his foot hair, which does seem a little weird. I guess they've got to buck the stereotypes in more ways than one. </p><p></p><p>Ishi Barasume looks like a 1st edition OA holdover, with Bushi and Monk abilities in a way that doesn't look strictly legal to me. But then, she's sharing a party with a Golem, and what are the rules for that? She has the usual Oriental obsession with honor, and a disgrace which gives her a good reason to be away from her homeland and questing for a way to redeem herself. And as long as they have more adventures to tell, that plot hook is unlikely to be resolved. </p><p></p><p>Vartan Hai Sylvar is the elf, but he's also the cleric, which does buck stereotype a little. He's pretty twinked, and got to be the avatar of his god during the Time of Troubles. (which did strain their relationship a little. ) He could be a mary-sue, but has enough character flaws and genuine struggles to avert that. This collection of characters is actually proving pretty good. </p><p></p><p>Priam Agrivar is the paladin, and is another member of the party with addiction issues, having fallen into drink after a pretty spectacular failure. This means he has more sympathy than many paladins for people who can't manage the same kind of moral standards as him. He's also not celibate, having got into a relationship with Ishi. He could actually be decent company. So overall, I do approve of this collection, as they've obviously been built up organically and well treated over the years, rather than just whipped up for a single novel then forgotten about. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Bazaar of the Bizarre gets to be green under the new format. It does look a good deal better. As with last issue, we're getting a load of stuff that's likely to be useful in a more everyday environment. Enjoy it while it lasts. </p><p></p><p>Aprons of the alchemist protect you from explosive experiments. Common sense really. A good one for wizards, as they give an AC bonus, but don't exactly count as armour. Way to get round your normal restrictions. </p><p></p><p>Nalkar's Apron is an absolute lifesaver, albeit one that requires rather expensive maintennance. Like most charged magical items, this'll be a real problem until very high level. </p><p></p><p>Tools of Art are another basic skill booster. Of course, they're cheaper than weapons with the same plus, despite probably being rarer. Supply and demand is of course dependent on the demand bit. </p><p></p><p>Magic Tar reduces your ship maintenance by several orders of magnitude. Well, it should sell for a good amount to the right people. Boat building is so expensive that an extra 500gp isn't too hard to spring for. </p><p></p><p>Flags of the Warsmith make fixing stuff much quicker and easier. Which is something we've had before, but is still useful. It does have some awkward stipulations though. May well be another one it's better to sell on. </p><p></p><p>Nalkor's tape measure lets you automate your tailoring processes. Trade the personal touch for being groped by an invisible force. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /> Yeah, that'll make you popular with the customers. </p><p></p><p>Glasses of the Architect don't seem to do much, unless there's some architecture specific terminology I'm missing here. Can someone explain this one to me? </p><p></p><p>Barrels of Potion Storing let you deal with the problem of having dozens of bottles in your backpack and having a devil of a time finding the right one. Like any mass storage device, this is tremendously handy if you track encumbrance. </p><p></p><p>Jadon's mortar dries really fast. Now those builders have one less excuse for hanging around drinking tea with their arses hanging out. It may even be useful for remodelling dungeons as you go. Now that has even more tactical tricks than flaming oil. </p><p></p><p>Knives of Decoration let you carve stuff quickly and easily. It only works on wood though, so no swashbuckling in combat pisstaking, unless you're fighting treants. And I don't think you'll want to carry one around just in case of that eventuality. This isn't as fun as last month's collection. </p><p></p><p>Nalkor's Book of Servants generates lots of unseen servants. If you're sparing with it, it'll last for a lifetime. If not, you'll wear it out. Manage your resources folks. Long term planning is nearly always the better option. </p><p></p><p>Fitting Dolls assume the shape of a person, to help you in creating bespoke garments. Maybe you could also use them as a decoy, but I can't think of any real combat use for them. </p><p></p><p>Easels of Pageturning are yet another way wizards can freak the mundanes and make their lives more convenient. It's like having a remote control for your books. Now all you need is a speaker function too, since shortsightedness can be a real pain for wizards. </p><p></p><p>Changing Molds let you produce lots of different weapons without paying for different molds. Which will probably cost more than buying all the molds, given how expensive magic items are. A bit pointless really. Well, at least it saves on storage space. </p><p></p><p>Molds of 1000 Candles are not nearly as impressive as their name. Bah. You'll need quite a bit of patience to get that much out of them. </p><p></p><p>Pots of Metal Melting do what they say on the tin. Simple and easy. But probably a bit tricky to use in combat. </p><p></p><p>Diamond Scales let you instantly value any gems you find. That'll help settle arguments and save money on valuers. Keep it in house as much as possible to profit. </p><p></p><p>Diamond Scales of Chalacha put the power in the hands of the merchant, allowing you to over or undervalue commissions as you choose. Muahahaha. </p><p></p><p>Dan's Dough Doubler does exactly that. Another boring logistics multiplier to make your provisioning a little easier. This really is getting a bit tiresome. </p><p></p><p>Jeremiah's box of Knife Sharpening makes me lose the will to live. Really. The personal touches, they do nothing. </p><p></p><p>Vials of Nalkor let you identify potions. Again, very handy to have one of these along for the ride, instead of risking poisoning or 8 tedious hours casting identify.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(un)reason, post: 5688512, member: 27780"] [B][U]Dragon Magazine Issue 247: May 1998[/U][/B] part 5/8 Rogues Gallery once again follows up on the fiction earlier in the issue. Kate Novak details the characters that she and her group played, and her hubby DM'd for. What are we to make of that? Well, it's probably not scraping the barrel, but it does have the danger of getting cheesy and self-indulgent. Still, they obviously had a lot of fun, and that comes through in the writing, which goes quite some way towards mitigating my scepticism. Dwalimar Omen is the wizard of the group, and is older (well, relatively, given the presence of demihumans) and higher level than the rest of them. As with many old wizards, he can be subtle and quick to anger, but he's not so powerful that he can just blow off his companions, and it's pretty obvious that he does have some affection for them. He also has quite a distinctive appearance that the illustration captures decently. So far, they're no doing too badly. Minder is a dwarf who's been stuck in a Golem body. Since Alias was also a woman who was actually a construct, this makes me wonder about Jeff & Kate's personal fetishes. She does have a bit of angst about not being able to smell or taste anymore, but hey, immortality and immunity to nonmagical attacks make up for that. There are far worse fates. Foxilon Cardluck is our halfling thief, complete with drug issues (which have been bowdlerised in amusing fashion. ) He's managed to kick the habit, but still gets tempted from time to time. He also shaves his foot hair, which does seem a little weird. I guess they've got to buck the stereotypes in more ways than one. Ishi Barasume looks like a 1st edition OA holdover, with Bushi and Monk abilities in a way that doesn't look strictly legal to me. But then, she's sharing a party with a Golem, and what are the rules for that? She has the usual Oriental obsession with honor, and a disgrace which gives her a good reason to be away from her homeland and questing for a way to redeem herself. And as long as they have more adventures to tell, that plot hook is unlikely to be resolved. Vartan Hai Sylvar is the elf, but he's also the cleric, which does buck stereotype a little. He's pretty twinked, and got to be the avatar of his god during the Time of Troubles. (which did strain their relationship a little. ) He could be a mary-sue, but has enough character flaws and genuine struggles to avert that. This collection of characters is actually proving pretty good. Priam Agrivar is the paladin, and is another member of the party with addiction issues, having fallen into drink after a pretty spectacular failure. This means he has more sympathy than many paladins for people who can't manage the same kind of moral standards as him. He's also not celibate, having got into a relationship with Ishi. He could actually be decent company. So overall, I do approve of this collection, as they've obviously been built up organically and well treated over the years, rather than just whipped up for a single novel then forgotten about. Bazaar of the Bizarre gets to be green under the new format. It does look a good deal better. As with last issue, we're getting a load of stuff that's likely to be useful in a more everyday environment. Enjoy it while it lasts. Aprons of the alchemist protect you from explosive experiments. Common sense really. A good one for wizards, as they give an AC bonus, but don't exactly count as armour. Way to get round your normal restrictions. Nalkar's Apron is an absolute lifesaver, albeit one that requires rather expensive maintennance. Like most charged magical items, this'll be a real problem until very high level. Tools of Art are another basic skill booster. Of course, they're cheaper than weapons with the same plus, despite probably being rarer. Supply and demand is of course dependent on the demand bit. Magic Tar reduces your ship maintenance by several orders of magnitude. Well, it should sell for a good amount to the right people. Boat building is so expensive that an extra 500gp isn't too hard to spring for. Flags of the Warsmith make fixing stuff much quicker and easier. Which is something we've had before, but is still useful. It does have some awkward stipulations though. May well be another one it's better to sell on. Nalkor's tape measure lets you automate your tailoring processes. Trade the personal touch for being groped by an invisible force. :p Yeah, that'll make you popular with the customers. Glasses of the Architect don't seem to do much, unless there's some architecture specific terminology I'm missing here. Can someone explain this one to me? Barrels of Potion Storing let you deal with the problem of having dozens of bottles in your backpack and having a devil of a time finding the right one. Like any mass storage device, this is tremendously handy if you track encumbrance. Jadon's mortar dries really fast. Now those builders have one less excuse for hanging around drinking tea with their arses hanging out. It may even be useful for remodelling dungeons as you go. Now that has even more tactical tricks than flaming oil. Knives of Decoration let you carve stuff quickly and easily. It only works on wood though, so no swashbuckling in combat pisstaking, unless you're fighting treants. And I don't think you'll want to carry one around just in case of that eventuality. This isn't as fun as last month's collection. Nalkor's Book of Servants generates lots of unseen servants. If you're sparing with it, it'll last for a lifetime. If not, you'll wear it out. Manage your resources folks. Long term planning is nearly always the better option. Fitting Dolls assume the shape of a person, to help you in creating bespoke garments. Maybe you could also use them as a decoy, but I can't think of any real combat use for them. Easels of Pageturning are yet another way wizards can freak the mundanes and make their lives more convenient. It's like having a remote control for your books. Now all you need is a speaker function too, since shortsightedness can be a real pain for wizards. Changing Molds let you produce lots of different weapons without paying for different molds. Which will probably cost more than buying all the molds, given how expensive magic items are. A bit pointless really. Well, at least it saves on storage space. Molds of 1000 Candles are not nearly as impressive as their name. Bah. You'll need quite a bit of patience to get that much out of them. Pots of Metal Melting do what they say on the tin. Simple and easy. But probably a bit tricky to use in combat. Diamond Scales let you instantly value any gems you find. That'll help settle arguments and save money on valuers. Keep it in house as much as possible to profit. Diamond Scales of Chalacha put the power in the hands of the merchant, allowing you to over or undervalue commissions as you choose. Muahahaha. Dan's Dough Doubler does exactly that. Another boring logistics multiplier to make your provisioning a little easier. This really is getting a bit tiresome. Jeremiah's box of Knife Sharpening makes me lose the will to live. Really. The personal touches, they do nothing. Vials of Nalkor let you identify potions. Again, very handy to have one of these along for the ride, instead of risking poisoning or 8 tedious hours casting identify. [/QUOTE]
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